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初三英语时文阅读（二）
< br>（材料一）
你第一次见一对夫妻时，
最先闪入脑海的是什
么？相信大多数人都会琢磨一下这
两个人有没有夫妻相。
Do
elderly couples really look alike?
You’ve probably
seen it before
---two elderly people
walking hand in hand down the street
and looking very much like each other.
They look so much alike that they could be brother
and
sister.
Do you believe that people
who live together for many years would look alike?
It’s strange,
but scientists say it’s
true.
How scientists proved it?
In a study, scientists
found young couples only showed similarity by
chance. However, elder
couples were
very likely to look like each other. The
similarity could be very subtle and could be
found in wrinkles, furrows, etc.
Besides, some couples look far more alike than
other couples.
The reason behind it
The scientists thought of
several possible reasons:
1. Diet.“We are what we
eat.”
As couples usually share the same
diet, will they probably look
alike?
For example, if both partners eat a high fat diet,
their faces will tend to look fat. However,
the scientists ruled this out using
another small study.
2. Environment. Will elderly couples
show similarity because they live together in the
same
area
for
a
long
time?
The
environmental
factors
such
as
sunshine
and
wind
affect
the
skin
in
similar ways. The scientists ruled this
possibility out as well.
3. Empathy. This is the theory the
scientists believe in. Couples grow to look
similar because
they are empathizing
with each other. They copy each other’s facial
expressions. For example, if
one
partner often smiles in a certain way, the other
is likely to copy it. In this way, their faces
share similar wrinkles and furrows.
A
look into the future
Some
people
still
don’t
believe
in
the“empathy”theory.
And,
some
think
growing
to
look
more like your partner is
a
horrific idea. Others, though, think there’s
something very sweet and
romantic about
it.
（材料二）请相信，音乐是有魔力的！
Magic Music
What can music
do? As a personal expression? To increase
patriotism? Or as a way to pass
on
traditions?
Sweet music for milking
Scientists believe farmers
could get more milk from their cows by playing
classical music in
the cowshed.
In
2001,
a
group
of
UK
psychologists
played
music
of
different
tempos
to
some
cows.
Beethoven’s
Pastoral
Symphony*
was
a
big
hit
in
the
milking
s
hed.
But
when
noisy
music
was
played,
there
was
no
increase
in
milk
yield.
According
to
research,
calming
music
can
improve
milk yield, probably
because it reduces stress.
Music
can
help
plants
grow
faster
as
well.
In
2007,
South
Korean
scientists
proved
that
playing music, especially classical
pieces, to plants really helps plants grow more
quickly.
Muzak*, more than music
Today,
you
hear
muzak
almost
everywhere.
Muzak
is
functional
music
rather
than
entertainment; it affects those who
hear it.
Music
is
art,
but
Muzak
is
science.
And
when you
use
the
science
of
Muzak: In
an
office,
workers tend to work more efficiently,
and feel happier. In a factory, people feel better
and, with
less fatigue and tension,
their jobs seem less monotonous. In a store,
people seem to shop in a
more relaxed
and leisurely manner. That’s why we say Muzak is
much more than music.
Music as symbol
At the mention of the 1988
Seoul Olympics (
汉城奥运会
), what
comes into your mind first?
The theme
song Hand in Hand
(
汉城奥运会主题曲《手拉手》
), of course!
It is one of the most
favorite
songs
in
Olympic
history.
As
a
successful
Olympic
song,
Hand
in
Hand
is
easy
but
not
simple. The song conveys
the common dream of people around the
world
—
peace and the spirit
of
the
Olympics.
Anyone,
who
saw
the
moment
when
18,000
spectators
sang
Hand
in
Hand
together with the
singers on the stage, would feel the power of
music.
（材料三）谁是这几周最火的人物？非苏珊<
/p>
·
波伊尔莫属。
Susan Boyle: A Dream Come True
Her
appearance on the reality show Britain’s Got
Talent (
真人秀节目
“
英国达
人
”) l
asted just
a
few minutes, but that was enough to bring 47-year-
old Scottish church volunteer Susan Boyle to
instant fame.
Stunning performance
On the show,
viewers saw the plain and plump
(
胖胖的
) Boyle step onto the
stage and say
that her dream is to be a
professional singer like Elaine Page*.
The judges
snickered. There was laughter from the audience,
and viewers, both live (
在现场
)
and at home, were ready to see another
hopeless loser. But when Boyle opened her mouth
and
sang I Dreamed A Dream
(
《我曾有梦》
) from Les Misérables
(
《悲惨世界》
), the judges were
shocked, the crowd went wild,
and
—
Boyle became a star.
A
global phenomenon
The rise of Susan Boyle has been a
global phenomenon.
From Japan to Denmark to the U.S., the
clip of Boyle’s performance has
fa
scinated viewers.
Her clip
was the most watched video on global network
YouTube the week before last
(
上上周
),
attracting
over 12 million hits (
点击
).
Boyle’s face has appeared on the front pages of
newspapers
in
Britain
and
other
countries.
She
has
been
offere
d
a
seat
on
Oprah’s
sofa*,
and
it
has
been
predicted that she will have a
worldwide number one album.
An underdog
Boyle
has
shattered
the
prejudices
surrounding
age,
appearance,
and
talent
in
the
entertainment industry
(
娱乐业
). She has proved that
you d
on’t have to be young and
attractive
to be talented, and
recognized as such.
“This
is
completely
unprecedented,”says
Andrew
Llinares,
executive
producer
(
监制
)
of
Britain’s Got Talent.“We
have had big responses in the past, but we have
never seen anything
like
this before. People love an underdog
and she is the ultimate underdog.”
（材料四）地球需要
“
休息
< br>”
：不仅仅是每年一小时的演示，更是我们
365
天的努力。
Electric Heroes
On March 28,
where were you when the lights went out? Well, if
you were like the millions
of people
around the world who were celebrating Earth Hour*,
you were... in the dark! On that
day,
at
that
hour
(8:30
to
9:30
p.m.),“electric
heroes”
in
4,000
cities
in
88
countries
chose
darkness over the
lights to show their concern for global warming
(
全球变暖
).
An electric hero is someone
(like you!) who limits their energy use whenever
possible. It can
be a simple thing such
as turning off the lights when you leave a room,
or just spending less time
on
the
computer
or
watching
television.
These
small
energy
savings
can
add
up
to
big
energy
savings when done by millions of
people. And that’s important for a country like
China.
China’s economy has been growing
rapidly, and its energy consumption has been
growing
even faster. Most of the energy
China uses comes from fossil fuels: coal, oil and
natural gas. They
are
called
fossil
fuels
because
they
come
from
living
(
有生命的
)
material
that
died
millions
of
years
ago.
All
living
things
are
made
of
carbon,
and
when
they
are
burned
as
fossil
fuels,
the
carbon is released into the air in the
form of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases
(
导致
“
温室效应
”
的气体
).
It
is
these
greenhouse
gases
that
scientists
say
are
the
cause
of
global
warming.
As
part
of
the
five-year
plan
announced
in
2006,
China
has
promised
to
reduce
energy
consumption
by
20
percent
by
the
year
2010.
So
far,
they
are
on
track
to
achieve
that
goal;
mostly
by
making
industry
more
efficient.
But
more
can
be
done,
and
that’s
where
you
come
in(
我们还可以做更多，
而这正是你可以参与其中的
).
By being more aware of the energy you
use and by using less energy whenever possible,
you
can help reduce greenhouse gases.
It’s so simple to do... and so heroic, too!
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